IPOS: Mission Ridge
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For one, the surrounding community isn't part of a ski town. It's a city, and Wenatchee is famous for more than just skiing. Also known as the "Apple Capital of the World", the area is home to a plethora of orchards and rich agriculture. As a result, it boasts all kinds of restaurants, wineries, and breweries that will satisfy any food lover. Considering most of the ski towns we've been visiting have had only a few good restaurants, we appreciated the culinary scene especially when it's farm-to-table. And it's not just food that puts Wenatchee on the map.
This valley has a vibrant arts scene with everything from local galleries to performing arts. But at the end of the day, we're here to ski. After refueling with a hearty meal from downtown, we wake up early and hit the road. It doesn't feel like we're heading to a ski resort, as we maneuver through the morning work traffic. But once we reach the southern part of the city, things start changing quickly. The city hustle and bustle disappears behind us, and the rolling foothills covered in golden grasses become dotted with trees. The forest becomes denser and denser as we wind up the road. Unbeknownst to all of us, we've been steadily climbing in elevation as well. By the time we reach the base—which is at 4,570 feet—we've already climbed roughly 3700 feet. The summit sits at 6,820 feet, which makes it the highest resort in Washington.
Mission Ridge isn't just a molehill with a ski lift. | Katie Lozancich
When we step out of the car, we look up to see ourselves dwarfed by a wall of snow. Mission Ridge is part of a 2,300-acre basin that sprawls around you. There are ski runs that weave down the mountain, alongside steep glades and basalt rock pillars that dot the ridgeline. Not only do they look dramatic, but they make for great chutes. In a nutshell, it's a freeskiing paradise. Before we can scare ourselves on one of the many chutes at our disposal, we link up with our old friend Ingrid Backstrom. That's right, the Ingrid Backstrom who's skied first descents in Greenland, Baffin Island, and China and starred in more than 20 ski films. She's based nearby in Leavenworth, Washington, and popped over for the afternoon.
Ingrid carries the family tradition onwards with her two little girls. | Katie Lozancich photo.
Today, however, she has much a different objective in mind, and that's taking her two adorable daughters Betty and Clover for a rip around the mountain. We find her on the bunny slope with her two little ones, who practically match Backstrom with their bright pink and purple snowsuits. The oldest one skis with a toy rabbit poking out of the top of her jacket, because even the rabbit deserves to earn some turns. Whereas, the younger one is still in a harness with Backstrom following close behind. "A lot of times the bigger resorts can be really expensive, really hard to reach, and really crowded. These smaller resorts everyone can get in," she tells us. This becomes especially apparent when you have kids. For many families, small independent resorts like Mission Ridge are their only way to ski for a reasonable price. "You just look around and see people of every age, all demographics. Everyone has a place here."
After a few laps with Backstrom and her mini shredders, we break away to head up to the summit. No visit to Mission Ridge is complete without taking in the view from the top. Lucky for us it's sunny, meaning that the top will be clear. You know when you show your friends a photo of something incredibly beautiful and they ask if the backdrop is CGI? That's how it feels standing on the top of Mission Ridge. On a sunny day, you can practically see everything worth seeing in the Northwest: Mount Rainier, Glacier Peak, Mount Adams, Mount Stuart, the Enchantments, and Mount Baker. You can even see Mt. Hood on a really good day—even though it's 150 miles away. Looking in the opposite direction we see the Wenatchee valley in its full splendor. This view isn't once in a blue moon, either. Unlike other resorts in Washington that experience grey, gloomy days in the wintertime, Mission Ridge sees about 300 days of sunshine each year. On top of that, since the resort is higher and tucked into the leeward side of the Cascades, the snow comes in much drier. That means when storms come over the mountains they're not dumping Cascade concrete, but light, dry powder. And by sheer luck, we get a taste of it later that afternoon.
The trees tend to have the good stuff. | Katie Lozancich photo.
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After lunch, we head back up the mountain with a crew of locals that excitedly show us around the Microwave Tower zone. A small storm front has moved in, and snowflakes are falling around us. We traverse quite a ways and then sidestep up to a cluster of trees. Hidden in this little pocket of the forest is a treasure trove of wind deposited untouched snow. We each pick a different lane and fly through the trees. If only it wasn't about to close, we would have gone back up for more. All is not lost. Tomorrow we have something even more memorable planned.
We arrive back at the resort before the sun is up. There's a snowcat waiting for us just past the parking lot. Piling into the back, I wrap myself in my thickest puffy to fight off the cold. The chill will be worth it though, considering we're about to have the best seat in the house to watch the sunrise. As the snowcat inches higher the sky shifts from black to indigo to baby blue. At the summit, I can't see anything until the cat operator opens our compartment door. Stepping out of the box I see nothing but overcast gray skies as far as the eye can see. Before we can lament about the less than optimal sunrise conditions a thick cloud of fog rolls in, obscuring our view entirely. With the mountain about to open soon, there's no point in going down. To kill the time we huddle on the ski patrol deck and watch the snow groomers making their finishing touches on the mountain. We're about ready to ski down until a strong gust of wind moves the fog out of the way like a red velvet curtain unveiling the start of a play. We can see the Wenatchee Valley basking in warm gold, orange, red light as the morning light breaks through the clouds. In the distance, the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers shimmer like a herring in the sea, making for a sunrise we'll never forget.
Not a bad spot to watch the sunrise if you ask us. | Katie Lozancich photo.
We already had plenty of reasons to come back to Mission Ridge for another visit, but seeing a sunrise like that again? That's reason number one.
